Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-2

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.

Commentary

An ingenious method for creating both a stage and an amphitheater: He sits in a boat a few feet from shore while his “audience” stands along the shoreline.

Verses 3-9

And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings. Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.

He who has ears, let him hear.”

Commentary

Jesus then presents the parable of the sower to the crowd, which we will examine below when He explains its meaning to the disciples in verses 18-23.

Verses 10-17

Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”

He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables:

‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:

‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Commentary

The disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” This is a great question which Jesus is about to answer. If I had been there among the disciples, I might also have been inclined (out of ignorance and limited spiritual understanding), to raise my hand and suggest that more people could be saved if He presented His message more plainly.

Can you imagine if missionaries from your church traveled to foreign countries today and then intentionally spoke to the people in parables so that they would not understand? It seems to make little sense. Why would Jesus not want people to understand?

He then explains, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.”

The kingdom of heaven has mysteries? The Bible says that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). This is why I believe self-discipline is an important part of our daily worship. Again, salvation is by faith, not by works, but God desires to reward those who earnestly seek Him.

Let’s compare two people in modern times. The first says he doesn’t have time to read the Bible. The second makes time to study God’s Word daily, even when his schedule is busy or he doesn’t feel like reading. Between the two, which one will be rewarded with the knowledge to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven?

Likewise, the person who prays regularly and seeks God consistently is the one who is rewarded with the knowledge of these mysteries. Similarly, the one who takes time out of a busy schedule to fellowship with mature and wise believers is also rewarded with this knowledge.

For example, I know some Christians who shrug their shoulders and claim we’re just not meant to understand the book of Revelation. Yet I also know other Christians who can explain it in great detail (granted, there are different interpretations), but my focus here is on those who don’t even want to try to understand it. Why? Because they’re not interested. Perhaps the self-discipline required for diligent Bible study feels too laborious for them. Thus, it remains a mystery.

Yet the person whose burning desire is to know God more will make Bible study a lifestyle. They will study the Bible in great detail over the course of years and decades. Those who earnestly desire to know God are the ones rewarded with the knowledge of these mysteries.

Jesus gave the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven to His disciples, but not to the crowds. Why? “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables.” (Matthew 13:12-13a)

Whoever Has and whoever does not have? Have what? I believe verse 15 gives us the answer: “For this people’s heart has grown callous.” It appears that the person who has a heart for God will be given even more of a heart for God, but the person who does not have a heart for God may have his heart hardened further by God.

Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds because he knew they didn’t really have a heart for God; they were just following Him because they wanted him to give them stuff; food, healing, and so on.

Verses 18-23

Consider, then, the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.

The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”

Commentary

The seed sown along the path

Jesus then goes on to explain the parable of the Sower. In his explanation, we see that there are four types of responses to hearing the good news of Jesus Christ (the message of the kingdom). The first is the person who doesn’t understand it; demonic forces come and snatch away what little was sown into their heart.

In the book of Romans the apostle Paul writes “Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)

I want to focus here on being transformed by the renewing of your mind. Let’s assume for a moment that you hear the gospel, a sermon, or a Bible study teacher expounding God’s Word (i.e. you hear the message of the kingdom), but you do not understand it. What should you do? It should be your desire to ask questions and seek understanding. You should have an inner desire to seek wisdom. The one who is indifferent is the one from whom it is snatched away.

The “Rule of 7” is a commonly cited principle explaining how people internalize information: individuals often don’t fully understand, accept, or commit to a message until they’ve encountered it seven to ten times. Only after this repeated exposure does the message finally sink in and click.

The person who hears the gospel once, doesn’t understand it, shrugs his shoulders and goes back to whatever he was doing before, demonstrates that he doesn’t really care. But the one who says, “Wait a minute, can you repeat that?” or “Let me take a closer look at that,” shows genuine interest in God and a desire to understand what they are being told. They will go back and read it again, and again. They may pray for understanding, consult multiple translations, or listen to a sermon on the passage. This is the person who will eventually get it; they will come to understand.

The seed sown on rocky ground

The second type of person in the parable of the sower is “the seed sown on rocky ground.” This is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, but because he has no root, he remains only for a season.

Receiving the word with joy but having no root; what does that mean? I suspect it describes a person who has head knowledge about Christ but has never been filled with the Holy Spirit. It is knowledge of the mind without transformation of the heart.

These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. (Matthew 15:8)

If you desire God, ask, seek and knock, and he will give you the Holy Spirit.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)

I have met people who can give all the right answers when asked about their faith; a knowledge probably gained in youth, perhaps from a time when their parents took them regularly to Sunday school. They can talk about Jesus Christ and Him crucified. They can speak at length about the cleansing of sins and the sacrificial Lamb, yet this same person does not attend church, has no Christian fellowship, does not read the Bible, and does not pray. Although they have plenty of time for hobbies and games, they have no time for God. The rocky ground is their heart. They received the message and considered it good news, yet all of that head knowledge is useless if the message never moved to their heart.

I’ve also heard many accounts of people who were once Christians but are no longer. Such people may have once praised the name of Jesus. They may have volunteered at church, led Bible studies, or sung on the church stage, yet today they no longer even believe in God. They lasted for only a season. As soon as something in their life made it inconvenient to follow God, they quit. For them, God was like a hobby; no different than when I once took up shoreline fishing. It was fun while it lasted, but when financial difficulties arose, I no longer wanted to pay for frozen shrimp and squid every time I went fishing. I put my fishing pole away and quit.

When a person has no root (the Holy Spirit) their involvement in Christianity is a hobby. When it becomes inconvenient, they will quit. This can happen to laypeople, pastors, elders, deacons, worship leaders; anyone. If you are not yet filled with the Holy Spirit, you are not yet a true follower of Jesus Christ. Being filled with the Holy Spirit requires faith; you must genuinely desire God. I suspect that many of those who have no root are seeking some other superficial benefit of being a Christian: friendships, finding romance or a spouse, or perhaps receiving accolades from people. For pastors who have no root and do not last, I suspect it was merely a career choice.

There are many well-known former pastors who are now atheists. A simple Google search will reveal several names. They are the seed that fell on rocky ground. They had no root. They never sought, nor asked for, the Holy Spirit. They were an empty shell; like a seashell on the beach: beautiful on the outside, but with nothing living on the inside.

The seed sown among the thorns

The seed sown among the thorns represents the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. Let’s first consider the worries of life, and then we’ll examine the deceitfulness of wealth.

Notice that, unlike the first two types of individuals, this person is saved but unfruitful. The first did not understand the gospel, and it was snatched away. The second received it for a time but fell away when difficulties arose. The third, however, is not described as unsaved, only as unfruitful.

Christians can move in and out of this group repeatedly throughout their lives. Whenever worries arise, they can distract an individual to the point of becoming unfruitful.

There have been times when my own problems occupied so much of my mind and mental energy that I had little empathy for the prayer requests my church sent out by email. For example, when my car broke down and I didn’t have enough money for the repair, I found myself very worried about how I was going to get to work and earn my paycheck. At the same time, I received an email asking for prayer for a church member’s sister’s teenage daughter who was about to take an important math test. I found it difficult to be concerned about a high school student’s math test when I was on the verge of losing my job because I had no transportation.

When I am weighed down by the worries of this life, I find that my prayers become almost entirely inward-focused. There is little upward focus toward God and almost no outward focus toward others. Unless someone is dying, I find that when my own problems seem so big, I tend to have little concern for other people’s struggles, including their need to hear the gospel. The worries of this life cause me to become unfruitful.

Walking in faith means having complete trust that what Jesus Christ said, what the Word of God says, is true. If Jesus Christ is true and the Word of God is true (which is what we place our faith in), then when we read in Scripture that God is our provider, we should be able to make a conscious decision to trust that God will provide, or at the very least, that He has a better plan. Furthermore, God also said:

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)

Thus, if you are struggling, and the cause of your struggle is your own lack of wisdom (i.e. your struggles are the results of your own poor decisions) you should have the faith to ask for wisdom, as the Bible instructs, and believe that God will give it, just as Scripture says He will. Walking in faith is the act of making conscious decisions based upon your willingness to believe that what God said is true, even when your present circumstances seem to point to the opposite.

Walking in faith is a willingness to set aside what present circumstances appear to be and instead choose to act on the belief that what God has said is true, a belief that is, of course, accompanied by abundant prayer.

The deceitfulness of wealth

First, let’s define what wealth is. In the United States, when people talk about the wealthy, they are most often referring to millionaires and billionaires. However, if you live in the U.S. and earn $35,000 a year, you’re among the top 10% of wealthiest people in the world. Therefore, when you read in the Bible about the deceitfulness of wealth, do not assume it doesn’t apply to you simply because you’re not a millionaire.

Now consider the meaning of the word “deceitfulness.” It means to mislead someone through lies and trickery. A deceived person is not someone who devised a crafty plan to do evil; on the contrary, they are misled. They fully believe they are doing the right thing, but in reality they are unknowingly following a lie.

What is the deceitfulness of wealth?

A reality of life is that aside from salvation, love and friendships, money can solve all other problems. There is no problem in life, besides the three aforementioned, that money can’t solve.

If you’re hungry, with money you can buy food. If you’re cold, with money you can buy warm clothes. If you need transportation, with money you can buy a car. If you need faster transportation, with money you can buy an airline ticket, and at your destination pay for a hotel. I can go on and on. Money is the solution to nearly every problem.

Because money is a universal remedy for problems, it’s understandable that those who lack money place their hope in obtaining it. Likewise, it’s easy to see how those who have a lot of money can come to rely on it and place their trust in the money they have.

Meanwhile, Jesus Christ wants us to put our hope, reliance and trust in Him. To overcome the deceitfulness of wealth, one must recognize that while money could solve all your problems, your hope must remain in Christ.

The seed sown on good soil

But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.” (Matthew 13:23)

The good soil is operating our lives in faith to Jesus Christ.

What is the crop? It is the spreading of the gospel, contributing to the spiritual growth and maturity of others, and supporting ministries and missionaries that do the same.

When a kernel of corn is planted in good soil, what does it produce? An ear of corn containing hundreds of kernels. If you’re a follower of Christ, you’re planted into the good soil and the crop you produce is more Christ followers. Sometimes 30x, 60x or 100x more followers of Christ.

[Notice that the description of the good soil above can help us better understand the thorny soil mentioned earlier. The Christian who makes no effort to create more Christians is unfruitful.]

Here is a list of ways a Christian can help create more Christians: pray; volunteer at church so that visitors have a welcoming and pleasant experience and want to return; tithe so your church can operate; financially support missionaries so they can continue sharing the gospel in other countries; support ministries that bring the light of the gospel to various places; and tell others of what Christ has done for you.

Verses 24-30

Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Commentary

Jesus then presents the parable of the weeds to the crowd, which we’ll explore in the commentary below when He explains its meaning to His disciples in verses 37-43.

Verses 31-32

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field. Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Commentary

Jesus does not explain the meaning of this parable as He did with the others, so I will offer my best attempt to interpret it here.

When we talk about sharing the gospel with others, we may often mistakenly assume that it’s our job to ensure they become saved. While that can sometimes happen, we should not expect that a brief conversation with a non-believer will immediately lead them to their knees to accept Christ as their Savior. That is unlikely.

Instead, we should think in terms of planting seeds. The mustard seed is very small, like a grain of sand. Our prayer should be that each day we have the opportunity to plant a small seed of faith in someone’s life.

Here’s an example of how the Lord works his will in the life of an unbeliever:

I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:6-9)

Imagine a coworker comes to you and shares some good news. You respond, “Oh, praise God, that is a blessing from the Lord.” Perhaps that’s all you say about God, but it is enough to plant a tiny seed in that person.

A few days later, someone else enters that person’s life and waters that tiny seed. And a few days after that, yet another person interacts with them and waters the seed again. Over time, these repeated waterings cause the seed to begin growing. Perhaps the person finds themselves thinking of God more often, and their heart starts to soften. Then, one day, they have a conversation with another person who senses they are on the fence. That person shares the gospel, and they accept Jesus as their Savior.

None of the previous people are aware of one another or of the waterings that took place before their encounter with this person. The individual may not even remember all the people who spoke words of truth into his life. But little by little, the seed grows into a faith that leads them to salvation. Thus, within the person, the kingdom of heaven grows into a spiritually large tree, even though it all began with the tiniest seed.

Verse 33

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”

Commentary

Jesus is reinforcing the same point He made in the parable of the mustard seed. Leaven is mixed into the flour until it permeates the entire batch. The leaven is like the tiny seed, and mixing the flour is like watering the seed.

Verses 34-35

Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

Commentary

Recall earlier that Jesus said the reason He speaks to the crowds in parables is because their hearts were hard. God is looking for people who will worship Him in faith, rather than follow Him because He gives them things. The disciples had softer hearts, and thus God allowed them to understand His parables. And where they didn’t understand, Jesus explained it to them using plain language.

In the Gospel of John, we see this clearly from the very beginning. When the first disciples, who had been with John the Baptist, heard John’s testimony about the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, they immediately began following Jesus. One even ran to fetch his brother and told him, “We have found the Messiah.” From the start of Jesus’s ministry, His disciples (with the exception of Judas) had already placed their faith in Him (see John 1:35–51).

Verse 36

Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

Commentary

I find it interesting that Jesus dismissed the crowds and sent them away. Earlier, He spoke to them in parables because their hearts were hard, and now Jesus is sending people away from Himself. This is very reminiscent of Him saying, in Matthew chapter seven, “Depart from Me; I never knew you.”

Elsewhere, the Bible says, “Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). Yet here we see Jesus sending people away. Why? Because they were not given to Jesus by the Father. They were seeking only to get something from Him, but they did not put their faith in Him.

Verses 37-43

He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

He who has ears, let him hear.

Commentary

Without question, this is an end-times prophecy. Those who are not saved will be cast into the lake of fire, and the righteous will receive glorified bodies. The weeds being thrown into the furnace takes place immediately after the great day of judgment, which follows the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, itself coming after the tribulation.

Verse 44

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Commentary

The key point of this verse is that the man sold all he had to raise enough money to buy the field containing the treasure. In other words, the buried treasure was far more valuable than all his earthly possessions combined. This illustrates how priceless your entrance into the kingdom of heaven is. It is worth more than everything you value on this earth combined. Be willing to give up anything that hinders you from following Jesus with all your heart.

Verses 45-46

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it.

Commentary

This is another illustration of the same previous point. Entrance into the kingdom of heaven is worth more than everything you possess in this life.

Verses 47-51

Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the men pulled it ashore. Then they sat down and sorted the good fish into containers, but threw the bad away.

So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered.

Commentary

It’s been said that when something is repeated in the Bible, it is because God is placing emphasis on its importance. Jesus is making the same point here that He made in the parable of the weeds. This is the same end-times prophecy. At the end of the age, the saved and the un-saved will be separated, and the un-saved will be tossed into the lake of fire.

Verse 52

Then He told them, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

Commentary

There have been many different interpretations regarding the meaning of verse 52. Let’s examine it closely. The first thing I notice is the phrase “For this reason.” This is referring to whatever was previously spoken; however, I don’t believe Jesus is referring to the separation of the saved from the un-saved at the end of the age. Instead, I believe He is referring to His parables of hidden treasure. Remember, the first man found treasure hidden in a field. The second man found a pearl of great value.

Now Jesus says, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

A scribe is a person who studied the Law of Moses and made handwritten copies of it. I believe what is being said here is that the Word of God is the treasure and that it keeps on giving. The parable may be about people who are diligent in studying God’s Word. Furthermore, Jesus mentions both new treasures and old.

It has been my experience, and the experience of nearly all devoted Christians, that you can read a passage from the Bible numerous times, yet on another occasion suddenly see something you never noticed before. Thus, the Bible is like a storeroom filled with treasures. The person who studies the Bible diligently (like a scribe) will continue to cherish the spiritual truths they’ve already learned (i.e. old treasures), but out of this same storeroom they will also find new spiritual truths (i.e. new treasures) they hadn’t noticed before.

Be diligent about studying your Bible. Explore different methods of Bible study and various translations. Purchase an exhaustive concordance so you can look up the intended meaning of the original languages. Participate in group Bible studies. In other words, be excited about getting to know God, and treat your Bible knowledge as something you long to grow in and excel at.

Verses 53-58

When Jesus had finished these parables, He withdrew from that place. Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Aren’t all His sisters with us as well? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at Him.

But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.” And He did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief.

Commentary

There is a phrase, “familiarity breeds contempt,” which means that when a person has extensive familiarity with an individual, they may tend to have less respect for that person.

Sometimes when my wife asks our daughter to do something, she acts like it’s a great burden. But when we take this same daughter to dance class, the teacher can issue a dozen instructions over the course of an hour, and our daughter will do every single thing she’s told; no fuss, no complaining, just action. Why? Because her mother is without honor in her own household.

Jesus said, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”

This is why I think it’s important for children to have, in addition to their parents, a wise spiritual mentor who is not their mom, dad, or immediate family member. This could be a Sunday school teacher, a youth group leader, or a pastor. Children in their teens may tend not to listen to their parents’ advice. Meanwhile, someone who is not of their own household can give exactly the same advice the parents were giving, but all of a sudden, the teenager acts like she’s hearing great wisdom for the first time.